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Unfruitful Works of Darkness

I’m a discernment person. Heresies are a big deal to me. I tend to notice when teachers or authors or pastors are preaching a different gospel. But there are other issues, too. Focusing on tolerance and friendliness with the world – the “seeker-sensitive” movement, for example – is dangerous. Christians are a light set on a hill, not light camouflaged to look like darkness. Or another popular… what should I call it? Not a heresy in the traditional sense, but a dangerous and unchristian worldview or spiritual practice? Anyway, another one is the borderline gnosticism. This encompasses mysticism and individualism, focusing on poetic ideas of light versus darkness, denial (or even mistreatment) of the physical, and meditation. I see connections between seeker-sensitivity and the postmodern mysticism. Primary in these connections are the exaltation of human effort and experience. They are ancient perversions of the Christian life, not new, but addressed in the New Testament.

Lately it has become popular to cite “church fathers” in theological debates. This even if the quote or position contradicts the New Testament. Though I’m not persuaded of the “sola scriptura” of the Reformation, it did rescue us from centuries of heretical tradition enforced as the authority of the fathers. (Jesus rebuked the same sin in the Pharisees.) Many of those historical theologians flirted with or embraced the para-Christian spirituality mentioned above, emphasizing either their personal wisdom or their own mystical experiences as sources of truth superior to the revelation of Scripture. They practiced this outside of the protective peer-regulation of a Spirit-led Church. Somehow the doctrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit got exchanged for a belief in inner divinity belonging to an individual. All of which was much more compatible with the pagan religions encountered as the ancient “Christianity” spread.

And isn’t that something to be concerned about? Rather than being excited that the enemies of God, the spiritually dead men of planet earth, have portions of truth preserved in their religions, shouldn’t we be devastated at the subtlety of the deceits of the Evil One that has kept men captive to their sin? (“What fellowship has light with darkness?”) Instead of finding commonality in spiritual practices of meditation and monasticism and sacrificing to appease the gods – shouldn’t we question those practices? If the pagans do those things, and if those things are not prescribed by our Lord in the early letters to the churches affirmed by the apostles, why not rather fear a resurgence of paganism within our faith – that the spiritual forces of wickedness have been also distracting us and leading us astray?

In our modern times we tend to disdain the primitive superstitions of pre-Christian peoples. We think they should have been able to see through the cheap tricks of the medicine men, to rise up against the oppressive shaman and assert reason, the intelligence and ability of individuals. But a Christian worldview suggests a different interpretation. It teaches that the devil and demons are real, powerful, able to produce counterfeit signs and wonders to deceive men. Demon possession is real. And maybe those pitiable people, observing that reality, live with rituals and talismans approved by their devils – for a time – as a tax on the slaves of the Devil before they are consumed.

For us who have known only the relatively Christian Western world, it is difficult to remember the spiritual battle that is engaged even here. We are not trained to recognize the spiritual activities of our enemy. This may be because we have adopted it, or excused and tolerated it… False teaching, we believe, has been perpetrated by confused but well-meaning people. Cultists are mostly nice people whose theology is just a little different from ours. We wouldn’t want our children converting, but no big deal if our neighbors and coworkers believe in Jesus and good works for their salvation, God and their own divinity. Many who identify themselves as evangelical Christians see no cause for concern when their church services begin to incorporate incense, or a ladies’ conference suggests repetitive chanting of a spiritual word or phrase as a means of getting closer to God. Millions of us read and identify with a book that includes a manifestation of Sophia, the Gnostic “goddess” as the incarnation of wisdom. These ideas and practices are more attractive to the unsaved world, after all (and to many inside the church). And why shouldn’t they be; they’re familiar whispers, that we are like God, that we come to God on our own terms.

The word profanity is known as a synonym for cussing. But who knows the word profane? Who believes that there is a way God wants to be worshiped, a way He has set for people to come to Him – and any other way is so offensive to Him as to bring His righteous wrath? What is fallen man to tell God why He should accept him? Who is the liar and deceived to believe he has a hold of truth and wisdom apart from the deliverance and revelation of God? How dare we think our filthy rags – our own righteousnesses – are acceptable sacrifices to pay for our trespasses against the ways of God?

But it is hard to reject these things, hard to point at those profanities and warn that they are part of the wide path to hell. I don’t want to believe that my church leader is a false teacher. I like to believe that my friends are going to heaven. But how does that honor God? Is my allegiance to Him or to men? And how is that compassionate, to ignore the condition of my friends? Making excuses is easy. If a man says he believes in Jesus, is it such a big deal if he tolerates sin, if he keeps company with the world? Also far too simple is reassuring myself that even though a person has not trusted in Jesus, he still seems to be a good influence, telling people to pray and read their Bibles and love their families and be wary of governments and religions out to destroy us.

Yet more and more I believe that those excuses and those subversive people are the biggest threats. By them people are led from the power and truth of God, or worse – away from the gospel of the grace of God. People are soothed into ignoring their spiritual neediness. Those people, those false prophets, are the enemies of God. And if they are enemies of God, they are enemies of His people. They are not in your fellowship to encourage you or point you to God. Though they may feign friendship, it is for diabolical purposes, and they can turn on you at any moment.

So what can we do? Monasticism and individualism belong to the false religions. We cannot run away from these dangerous people. Tolerance and acceptance also correspond to the faith that exalts man over God. So we cannot be silent or friendly. Truth and God’s glory invite us to discern the lies and cast them down. Holiness insists that we take our cues from God, supported by those men and women who exhibit the fruits of being His. Love demands that we warn people of destruction. Faith in God teaches us to hope for revival and redemption.